Mail-box.



T. L. REED.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED SEPLII. 1914.

Pmwmbedl De@ 12 1916.

I I I gm I tllhllflfmw @itflllmn FA if?. Nimm MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 19115.

Application filed September 11, 1914. Serial No. 861,236.

To all Iwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Circleville, in the county of Jackson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail boxes, and more particularly relates to mail boxes having an extensional movement, thereby having their capacity for holding parcels in addition to letters and papers greatly increased.

As a principal object it is contemplated by this invention to provide an extension mail box which shall include in addition to the customary main portion a vertically slidable inner portion adapted to increase the capacity of the box when such is desired.

It is a cordinate object to provide a mail box of such construction as regards the number, proportion and arrangement of parts that the cost of manufacture of the same will be very slightly increased over the cost of producing ordinary mail boxes now in use, yet at the same time it is an aim to make the extension mail box, comprehended by this invention durable and efficient in operation.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of' this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there is illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention, as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which like characters of reference designate similar parts: Figure 1. is a longitudinal vertical section through a mail box constructed according to the disclosures of this invention and showing the same in extended position, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the top showing in plan the extensible portion, Fig. 3 is a detail of the corner construction of the main body portion, Fig. 4 is a detail in elevation showing the application of a modified form of catch, and Fig.' 5 isa detail elevational view of one of the corners of the extension box showing a particular construction.

Upon reference to the drawings, it will be seen that .the main body portion of this invention as designated by the numeral 5 consists of a box-like portion rectangular in plan and having a rear wall 6 of greater height than the front wall, a movable closure 7 being hinged as at 8 to this rear wall. rllhis is in effect,the ordinary construction of a mail box as commonly used upon the rural mail delivery routes and is adapted to be supported by suitable securing bolts 9 .projecting through the box and a post or other support 10 customarily provided at a point passed by the mail carrier. The new postal laws however, permitting the carriage in the mails of parcels of certain sizes but much larger than the ordinary letter or paper has rendered the introduction of some device necessary which shall properly accommodate these papers since they are entirely too large to be received in the ordinary mail box such as just described. Here tofore the postman in the event of seeing no person to whom he could commit the parcel has been in the habit. of either depositing the package upon the mail box or upon the ground nearby, or in event of inclement weather returning the package to the postoffice'to be delivered later thus unnecessarily postponing its reception by the proper per son. Either of these contingencies is decidedly inconvenient to the mail receiver and it is consequently the object of this invention to provide a postbox which while ordinarily occupying no more space than the ordinary box and presenting a similar outward aspect may be properly manipulated or extended to securely receive anyl large parcel adapted to come through the mails and afford the same protection from the inclemencies of the weather as is given to letters. To this effect, a cut out portion 11 is formed in the bottom of the main box 5 of such size as to leave only the small flange 12 extended around the perimeter of the body. Rods 13 are then vertically positioned in each of the corners of the box resting upon the flange 12 and being suitably supported at their upper extremities by the small brackets 14 in order to provide a guiding means upon which an inner box 15 may be extensible. This inner or extension box 15 'is formed of the same material as the main box 5 and of such size as to be readily received within the cut out portion 11 so as to move freely therein but also so as not to provide unnecessary play between this extension box and the flange 12. Small integral cyclet extensions 16 are formed upon each of the corners of this extension box as shown in Fig. 5 and each is suitably apertured to receive one of the guide rods 13 in order to position the box 15 in a slidable manner thereon as will be readily understood. Since it is desired to permit this inner box to fit as closely as possible within the larger box 5 it may be necessary to vertically groove the corners of said sliding box in order to properly accommodate the guide r'ods 13 which construction would of course effect a saving in space and enable such space to be utilized for the purpose of receiving the parcels which this sliding or extension box is adapted to accommodate. When the box is in its extended position as shown in Fig. 1, the circular extensions 16 which abut the respective corners of the main box 5 rest upon the flange 12 which serves to limit the downward movement of theA extension box and to reliably support the same when filled with heavy parcels.

A simple and effective means of maintaining the box in its closed position when it is not purposed to receive parcels and when such an extended position would be cumbersome as well as useless, is to be found in the provision of the L-shaped levers 17 which arepivoted to the main box 5 as at 18 near the forward corner of the box and which are provided with the annular portions 19 adapted to support the inner box when it is desired to keep the same closed and also adapted to be swung around the corners near which they are placed as indi cated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 when it is desired to permit the inner box to assume its extended position.

A further effective means of maintaining the inner box in its closed position is illustrated in Fig. 4; and includes an L-shaped leaf spring 20 riveted as at 2l to the front portion of the outer box and having the inner extension of the L in the position shown in which it can reliably support the slidable box. An arcuate portion 22 serves as a finger press in order that the spring 20 may be displaced sufliciently to permit of the inner box being lowered, it being obvious that the catch will automatically operate when the inner box is raised.

It will be seen from the-foregoing that this invention provides an extension mail box adapted to fulfil of the common letter and paper receiver and also adapted to assume a position capable of vaccommodating larger parcels thus doing away with the otherwise necessary provision of two separate receivers for these different classes of matter or with the inconvenience and delay otherwise caused by the absence of a proper parcel receiver. It should be noted in this connection that the ordina signal 23 may be used in connection with this through a perforation in each of all the ordinary duties device or if preferred such signal may be dispensed with and the extension portion 15 adapted to take its place indicating when extended that mail matter has been deposit` ed therein.

While in the foregoing however, there has thus been illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification suchcoinbination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changes in the matters of proportion and degree may be made in later adaptations of this device as shall not alter therspirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

`What` is claimed is 1. A mail receptacle comprising an outer box having an open bottom and a narrow horizontal flange projecting inwardlyfrom the lower edge of each side of said box, an inner box open at the top movable through the open bottom of said outer box, an ear ,projecting horizontally from the top of a plurality of corners of the inner box and adapted to bear upon the bottom flange of the outer box to support said inner box when lowered, and a vertical rod passing freely said ears to guide said inner box as it is raised and lowered, said rods being disposed in the corners of the outer box and fastened on to said horizontal flange and to a projecting lug at the top of the box.

2. A mail receptacle comprising an outer box having an open bottom and a narrow horizontal flange projecting inwardly from the lower edge of each side of said box, an inner box openat the top movable vertically through the open bottom of said outer box, an-ear projecting horizontally from the top of each corner of the inner box and adapted to bear upon said flange and support said inner box when the latter is lowered, a vertical rod in each corner of the outer box fastened at its lower end to said ange and at its upper end to a lug projecting inwardly from the top of the outer box, said rods passing freely through perforations in the ears on the inner box and serving as a guide for said inner box, external guide ways extending longitudinally of the corners of the inner box to receive said rods, and disengageable means on thev outer box for holding said inner box in elevated position entirely within the outer box.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS L. REED. 

